The Great Game

This was new and therefore dangerous. Friday’s game was at Ryan’s house. Normally we went somewhere so being invited to someone's house had me on edge. It didn’t help that while I waited for Emma to get ready, her dad had been home. It was a lighthearted interrogation, but an interrogation nonetheless. He drilled me with all sorts of questions. What I planned to do after high school. What college I was going to. What my parents did. By the time Emma came down to rescue me, I felt like a damn rag that had gone through the spin cycle. Her dad was a nice guy, but the terror of him being my girlfriend’s dad eclipsed any good humor the man had.

“Oh, it’s that one right there,” Emma said, pointing out the house. Probably didn’t need to. There were a ton of cars parked on the street in front. It was a decent-sized house. Not as large as mine, but it was clear his parents had a decent income. My heart was pounding as Emma took my arm. We were about to head inside when Mike arrived. He looked relieved to find us already there.

“Thank god,” he said as he quickly jogged up to us. “I have no idea what I would have done if you weren’t already here.”

Emma giggled lightly as she swept up Mike in her other arm. “You’ll be fine,” she said, pulling at us.

Mike’s gaze met mine and I shrugged. That was how Emma arrived with a man on each arm looking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Sarah was the one who opened the door, instantly giving her a suspicious look. “Any reason why you have two guys tonight?”

“Not sharing, if that’s what you’re fishing for.”

“Bold of you to assume I would want to.” Her eyes drifted to Mike. “No, I think I’ll just take what I want when you aren’t looking.” Opening the door wider, she let us inside with a gesture.

We all said hello to the ones already here and I introduced Mike to the ones he hadn’t met yet. He was a bit shy, sticking close at the beginning. Ryan eventually nabbed him and dragged him off to do some more private meet-and-greets. I drifted around, joining in some conversations before moving on to another. I tried wheedling what tonight’s game was from Callie, but she was being tight-lipped about it.

I eventually found Emma and joined her. She was talking with Lily and Nina as I moved up beside her. My hand automatically ran along her lower back before resting against her hip as I held her against me.

“What are you talking about?” I whispered to Emma as Lily and Nina discussed something.

“The new guy.”

“New—?” Right. Mike. “Speaking of… Haven’t seen him in a bit. See where he went?”

“He was with Ryan last I saw.” Removing my hand, she took hold of it with her other hand and guided me away from the chatting girls.

“Nervous?” she asked, glancing my way.

“A bit. The mood seems different than usual.”

“That’s because we usually have a more…****… game when we are here.” She must have seen the panic because she laughed, patting my hand. “Don’t worry. Callie and Ryan switched the game when I told them Mike was coming. Don’t want to scare the fresh meat away before we can bait him to stay.”

I frowned. “Really don’t like Mike being referred to as ‘fresh meat.’ Especially from you.”

“Relax, Isaac. It’s just a joke.” She turned to face me. “He’s in good hands. I already mentioned to the others that he’s a bit shy and inexperienced. No matter who he picks, he’ll be taken care of.”

I nodded. It was crazy how things had changed. From our basement-dwelling group of misfits to hanging out with some of the better-known people at school. Not to mention Mike had gone from someone with zero female prospects to being tossed into basically an all-you-could-fuck buffet where all the girls were incredibly hot. Without the amazing woman by my side, I might have been jealous.

“Ah, there he is,” Emma said, pointing him out. “Oh dear,” she said with a twinge of sadness.

“W-what?” I said as a surge of panic rushed through me. He was talking with Sarah. The two seemed to be having a fun conversation.

“Seems your friend is a bit infatuated with Sarah.”

It certainly looked that way. He was doing his best, but even I could see the nervous energy radiating from him as he did his best to keep eye contact with the giggling girl.

“Yeah.” I saw the look on Emma’s face and the unease didn’t leave me. “That… bad?”

“Huh? No. Sarah’s a nice girl…”

I took another look. It seemed normal enough. If I wasn’t mistaken, she seemed a bit receptive to Mike’s presence. She had a kind smile on her face, her finger twirling through her hair as her other one lightly brushed his arm.

“Emma, what’s wrong?”

She sighed, shaking her head. “Sarah’s a bad match for his second time.” I gave her a confused look. “She’s a…hungry girl. Mike will have a hard time keeping up with her.”

“Hungry?”

Giggling, she looked up at me. “Let’s just say her appetite makes me a nun by comparison.”

My face paled a bit at that. “Should we…say something?”

Shaking her head, she pressed a hand on my chest. “It’s fine. I’m sure one of the other guys will pick her before him.”

“Any idea what the game is tonight?”

She shook her head. “No. Even if I knew I wouldn’t tell you.” A teasing smile touched her lips. “That would be unfair.”

“Almost like you don’t want me to win.”

“I never said that. I don’t want you to cheat. If you are going to win me, it has to be fair and square.”

I sighed, hands running over her hips. “Maybe I should go the barbarian route. Why win you when I can take?”

An inquisitive look met my gaze. “Oh? You think you could do that?”

“I mean… probably…”

The look on her face suggested she didn’t believe me. With a giggle, she stood on her toes to kiss me. “Another reason why I like you.”

Me on her arm, she took me around to talk to various people. I kept glancing over to check on Mike. He seemed to be doing better than he had before as he got more comfortable with the situation. I noticed Sarah was never far. It might have been cute, like a mother hen looking after her chicks had I not known the truth. It was more like a fox guarding its claim from the other foxes.

After about an hour, people were getting restless. That was when Ryan stepped up. Getting everyone’s attention, it was time to begin the main event. Anxiety ripped through me as I awaited the announcement of what we would be playing.

Ryan was standing at the front of the room, waiting until he had everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for being here tonight. More importantly, thank you for not making a mess. Seriously. My parents come back tomorrow and I don’t want to spend all night cleaning up.”

“Boo! Get on with it! Boo!” Colin heckled from the back. Ryan shot him a middle finger.

“I know, you all are itchy about the game tonight. First things first, let’s give Mike a warm welcome.” Mike seemed to shrink away from the attention but was bolstered a little by Sarah’s hand on his shoulder. Getting everyone’s attention again, Ryan continued. “I know we normally have our special games during this, but in honor of Mike being here, Callie and I decided on something challenging. So I will let her give the details.”

Callie reveled in the spotlight. “Today will be a battle of the minds.”

I listened with rapt attention. Trivia. We were going to battle it out by playing a trivia game. For the first time since I joined, I had a legitimate chance at winning. Better than a chance. Judging by the looks from the other guys, they weren’t all that enthusiastic.

I glanced over at Emma. It seemed like she was having the same thought I was.

I could win this.

I could win and claim Emma.

I saw it there when our eyes met. Possibilities. For what? I didn’t know, but I knew she was willing to push things. For me. For us.

All I needed to do was win.